Apple iPhone Users $250 Million Siri Settlement: How to Claim, Check Eligibility

The payout comes from a lawsuit that says Apple promised much about Siri’s AI before it really delivered. Under the settlement terms owners of qualifying iPhone can expect a payout of $25 (about Rs 2,400) for each device. The final payout may change if more or fewer valid claims are filed. Apple limits the payout to $95 (about Rs 9,100) per person.

Check Eligibility - Models Covered

Not every iPhone owner is covered here. The settlement is limited to people who bought an iPhone in the US between June 10, 2024, and March 29, 2025. The specific models included are the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16e, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Eligible buyers should be receiving an email soon containing a claim ID and PIN. Alternatively, anyone who believes they qualify can head straight to smartphoneaisettlement.com and submit a claim directly. The online form asks for basic personal information along with the serial number of the qualifying device - and if that's on hand, applicants will also need to provide the email and phone number tied to their Apple Account.

How did this lawsuit start?

The case traces back to 2024, when Peter Landsheft filed suit in a California federal court. The complaint centered on Apple's WWDC 2024 keynote, where the company showcased upcoming Siri features built on Apple Intelligence - things like understanding personal context, reading what's on screen, and offering deeper control within individual apps. Apple even demonstrated scenarios like Siri pulling details about a user's mother's flight or lunch plans directly from the Mail and Messages apps.

The lawsuit argued that these demonstrations, combined with Apple's marketing, set "clear and reasonable consumer expectations" among buyers. But when the iPhone 16 lineup actually launched later that year, the suit claimed Apple delivered a version of Apple Intelligence that was either heavily scaled back or missing key pieces entirely - amounting to misleading advertising.

Things escalated in March 2025 when Apple pushed back the launch of its personalized Siri experience, which became a central piece of the false-advertising claims. Apple countered by pointing to other Apple Intelligence features it had already shipped, such as Visual Intelligence, Live Translation, Writing Tools, Genmoji, and Clean Up.

Throughout the case, Apple denied any wrongdoing, saying it chose to settle to sidestep the expense and uncertainty of going to trial. Apple added that resolving the matter allowed it to "stay focused" on "delivering the most innovative products and services to our users."

Apple eventually unveiled the AI-powered Siri at WWDC 2026 this past June. It's now available on iPhone 15 Pro and later models running iOS 27, which rolled out last week - though the feature remains labelled as beta even as iOS 27 itself has exited beta status.

A final court hearing to approve the settlement is set for February 24, 2027, meaning actual payments likely won't start until sometime next year. More details, including how to opt out, are available on the settlement website.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kahekashan

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Kahekashan is a passionate technophile with a keen eye for cutting-edge gadgets, emerging technologies, and everything in the digital realm. Raised in a Defence family with strong values and a background in literature, she has consistently pursued excellence in every endeavour. Her last full-time assignment involved content writing with the Indian School of Business.

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